7/22/13

Summer's Song


We finally got some much needed rain this morning.
After all the rain we had in early June, I was pretty sure we wouldn't need anymore this summer.
Well ha, I was wrong!
Things were starting to get pretty dry and with the heat wave last week things were starting to look pretty dry as well.
I watered last week and with the heat and humidity, my little annual garden grew in leaps and bounds.


Here's how it looked on June 11th of this year.


And here is how it looks a little over a month later on
July 19.
Quite a difference isn't it?

My Cleome on June 11th.
I only paid a buck for six of these little plants at a local nursery.
I really had no idea how they would look, as I had never planted them before.
I just knew they would be tall and I wanted something tall in the back here.

Looking quite different on July 19th.
I am sure glad I grabbed them when I did.

And this is one of my happy mistakes!
I literally grabbed this plant by mistake and I am sure glad I did.
It's a foxglove and it is just starting to open.
The color is called Camelot Creme, how perfect with the royal baby on the way.
It will come back next year and be much taller.





My endless summer hydrangea have never looked better!


I cut some blooms for the table yesterday.
They seem so purple in this light.
They are kind of a mix, some blue, some slightly pinkish purple.
I found a trick too that works great for keeping them fresh.
When I first brought one in it wilted within a few hours.
I thought oh man this stinks.
However I learned that by cutting off the stems again while they are under running water and then placing them in boiling water for about 30 seconds, I would have hydrangeas that lasted and lasted.
The boiling water opens up the stem and the sap which tends to get thick and allows the hydrangeas to draw up water.

Working on sprucing up the front porch a little bit. 

I painted our old wicker chairs a color called summer squash.
I will get some more pics this week to share later.
Oh the joys of summer.
It seems to go by in a flash.
Bringing back memories of our childhood.
I thought I would leave you with one of my all time
favorite oldies, A Summer Song by
Chad and Jeremy.
The year was 1965.  I was still a little girl but I 
dreamed of being a teenager.
Just click arrow below to hear them on the Dick Clark show.
Enjoy!

I am joining:
Met. Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
The Scoop @ Confessions of a Plate Addict
Tips and Tutorials @ Stone Gable



26 comments:

  1. WOW, that is a lot of growth in one months time...everything looks so nice Cindy! Love the yellow chair, I have the same cushions :)

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  2. Your flowers are gorgeous! Great info about the trick to keeping hydrangeas from wilting!♥♫

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  3. The rain and heat is taking its tole on everyones garden it seems. I like the flowers you got. Foxgloves are my favorite flowers after roses and lavenders.

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  4. Oh my goodness, your flowers really did grow. I love them. Everything in my yard looks so bad. Your porch is looking fabulous too. Hugs, Mary

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  5. I just adore your "Welcome Wagon" sign on your porch! And, wow, did your flowers ever grow!!! It must seem nice after your very long winter to be enjoying these beautiful blooms. :)

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  6. Thanks for sharing your beautiful flowers.
    Some of mine never really recovered from the crazy Spring weather we had.

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  7. WOW your flowers really grew. They look stunning! I love cleome's and foxgloves. Everything is perfect.
    I also like your porch and the color of your chair.
    I am a new follower, stop by and see my garden.
    Mary

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  8. OH MY WORD! Cindy, that flower bed is gorgeous! I need to check on that Cleome before I plant next summer. The Foxglove looks gorgeous. I always thought it was hard to grow - maybe it is in this area. I'll have to check that out too. Love the color of your wicker chair, and that cushion and throw pillow are so pretty. OK, I WAS a teen when that song came out. I loved watching that video. Dick Clark was just a kid! laurie

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  9. Your garden has grown by leaps and bounds...so pretty! I have to tell Emily your trick with the hydrangeas. She loves them and buys them every week at the grocery store (she needs to plant a bush or two!). Your chair turned out fantastic! Very pretty color! :)

    Love the video!

    XO,
    Jane

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  10. beautiful flowers...beautiful porch Cindy...hope you are having a great week...

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  11. I have had cleomes in my border before. They are pretty just didn't like the thorns. I can't get foxgloves to live more than a year or two here so they never were very spectacular. I still love all of your red accents. Everything looks beautiful. It's actually cool here this week.

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  12. Wow, what a difference a month makes! Your flowers look beautiful. We are living in the tropics down here. We have had lots of rain followed by lots of heat. It literally feels like a rain forest. Today we finally had a sunny, cooler day and it is perfect. If only it would last.

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  13. Your flowers are stunning....I have flower beds in the front and back of my home and (like yours) the view changes monthly...love your garden...and your hydrangeas...my fav!

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  14. Good Evening Cindy, Your beautiful garden is one of the reasons I enjoy gardening so very much. A tiny plant is placed in the soil and with the right conditions it rewards you with beautiful flowers. I love the Cleomes they stand so beautifully tall at the back of your border and the flowers are exquisite. Your foxglove is a beautiful white and I thought I would mention, incase you had not heard, the Royal baby was named yesterday, he is George, Alexander, Louis.... my husband is thrilled as George is his name as well.
    I listened to Chad and Jeremy and I had forgotten about Summer Song as I had not heard it for so many years. I was a teenager.... just 13 years when this song was released and I remember it well. They always reminded me of the duo Peter and Gordon who were very, very popular in England.
    Cindy, I have really enjoyed my visit and I have become a new follower. I would like to invite you to visit me at Ivy, Phyllis and Me! when you have the time, as you will be most welcome.
    Have a lovely day.
    Best Wishes
    Daphne

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  15. The flowers and your garden are gorgeous! The hydrangeas are soo pretty! Loving your porch too! Thank you for your sweet and kind visit. Big hugs,
    FABBY

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  16. Yep, I'm the nonrunner cricket slayer rescue girl.

    Goodness you have a GREEN thumb!! I was feeling pretty proud of my day lilies till I saw YOUR profusion of summer color!!!

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  17. It all looks so pretty. Don't forget to shake some of the foxglove seed where you'd like to have some more plants - it takes two years, but next year you'll have some nice greenery as you wait for blooms in '15.

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  18. Your flowers look just great! I love the white cleome. They will reseed for more flowers next year if you let them. I adore the little house...have any fairies or gnomes taken up residence yet?
    Have a wonderful week, Cindy.

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  19. Such a beautiful garden you have! Love the hydrangea and foxglove. You've got a wonderful talent garden design:) Your newly painting wicker chair is so pretty~ great color!

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  20. Amazing what a little water and a whole lot of love will do! What a very pretty front garden!!!! You have a green thumb for sure!

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  21. Hi Cindy! Your garden is so pretty! I hope you spend lots of time there. I would if I were you! :) Have a lovely week!
    ~Liz

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  22. Isn't it amazing what happens when we water our gardens. Things grow in leaps and bounds here in the rainy spring. We have not had any measurable rain yet this July which is unusual for us.
    Your foxglove is so pretty. They are usually biennial so you may just have plants next year and no blooms. I shake the seed pods everywhere.
    Thanks for the tip on the hydrangeas. I didn't know that.

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  23. I vividly remember this song! What fun. Blessings to you, Patti

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  24. Hi Cindy, Your garden bed is beautiful. It's a good thing you grabbed the wrong pot! I used to have foxglove on my hill (it came up mysteriously one year!) but it is gone now. I think I will plant more--thanks for the inspiration. And I can't believe how gorgeous your hydrangea are right now! Mine started out so nicely this year but the crazy weather has really stressed all of them and some look like they are developing a mildew so I'm worried. If they bloom again I'll definitely try your method of using them for cut flowers. They are really hard to have in the house until the fall when they start drying out. Hope you are all well! Linda

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  25. Your plants are so beautiful and healthy, Cindy. You picked the right ones, really pretty!...Christine

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  26. Oh I just love the wee house in your flower bed!

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Welcome,
I would love to hear from you. Come back and visit anytime. Warmest Wishes, Cindy